Shower Maintenance – your car isn’t the only thing that needs servicing

Shower maintenance is saves you money

Carrying out regular shower maintenance is important to the life of your shower.

Most of us are very diligent when it comes to servicing our cars but not so diligent when it comes to basic shower maintenance. New cars come with a service book that is filled out every time a mechanic performs a regular service, and when it comes to trading an old vehicle in for a new one, a full service history can add significant value to your trade. Unfortunately there isn’t a shower maintenance handbook.

We all know that if a vehicle’s regular maintenance isn’t carried out, eventually the car will become unreliable, and will probably break down, and usually do so at a very inconvenient time. The same if true of showers if we ignore shower maintenance.

We use our bathrooms, showers and wet areas more than we use our cars, yet because they don’t come with a service book we don’t give a second thought to undertaking any preventative maintenance. Given that the average shower gets used four times a day, a sharp eye and a bit of preventative maintenance is essential to keeping them in good working order.

What to look out for when carrying out shower maintenance

There are a number of simple checks that every homeowner can make to ensure that problems and defects in showers are identified and repaired before they become a costly and disruptive repair.

Shower maintenance tip #1 – leaking taps and dripping shower fittings

If your taps are leaking from the body of the tap or you notice that the shower rose drips water, the chances are that the tap washers are worn and need replacement. 
This is done by removing the tap fitting, cutting out any silicone around the tile penetration and carefully removing the tap body. The washer can then be replaced and if necessary the tap body itself reseated. This is shower maintenance 101 and saves money on your utility bills.

Many people take the opportunity to replace older complete tap bodies with more modern half-turn, ceramic disc taps as these require minimal future maintenance unlike traditional taps.
If you undertake this task yourself be sure to properly reseal any penetrations in your tiles with a good quality silicone sealant and always use hand and eye protection when using sharp tools.

Shower maintenance tip #2 – low water pressure

You may have noticed the water pressure in your shower dropping over time. If so, this could indicate a problem with the plumbing which feeds the fittings in the shower. This is definitely not a DIY task and you should engage a plumber or another suitable qualified traded person to pressure test the water pipes and determine the cause of the problem.

Shower maintenance tip #3 – failing grout and silicone

Though important components in the construction of your shower, the grout and silicone don’t form a part of the waterproof barrier that keeps water inside the shower recess. Harsh cleaning wears traditional grout over time and often results in thin and even flaking grout lines. Grout and silicone should be checked on a regular basis and if necessary replaced to preserve the integrity of your shower recess. 

Maintenance matters

Too often we don’t pay attention to our showers until we notice a leak or a problem and this can lean to expensive repairs. Using The Shower Dr for some preventative shower maintenance will keep your shower in tip-top condition for at least 7 years and will keep it looking neat and clean. Our grouts and silicones carry Mapei’s 10 year product warranty and provide an additional waterproof barrier that keeps water where it should be, in the shower.

If your shower is overdue for a bit of TLC, what now?

If you have leaking shower or simply want to carry out some overdue maintenance, a Shower Dr Shower Maintenance Service will give you peace of mind for years to come.

The Shower Dr – Brisbane’s shower repair experts

The Shower Dr can repair most leaking showers without costly tile removal. Our fully trained technicians will replace all failing and mouldy, grout, silicone and sealants with industry leading Mapei Epoxy Grouts and Sealants. These state of the art products enable us to reseal and waterproof leaking showers in just a day with the minimum of fuss.

Call The Shower Dr, we Repair, Restore and Rebuild showers all over South East Queensland – guaranteed.